The state bird of Alabama is the Yellowhammer. It is also known as the Golden-winged Woodpecker or the Northern Flicker. It is fairly common in all seasons of the year and in all regions of the state. It is brown and black barred on the back and wings with buff-colored breast with black spots. The underside of the tail and wings is bright yellow. It also has a wide black necklace with a red patch on the nape of the neck and a gray crown.
Alabama has many species that winter there, approximately 174 regularly. All types of birds can be found from the very small to the very large, seabirds and hunters. Water birds to woodland birds all can be found throughout the year. Although birding is wonderful all over the state, am going to just hit on a few areas. The National Parks are a great place to start with birds in abundance, and here are just a few.
I am going to start with Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in the northern part of the state, which is free to the public. It is located in the Tennessee River Valley and filled with deep river channels, swamplands and woods. Because of this, a variety of types of birds resides here, even in the winter. You are able to find Great Blue Herons to Northern Harrier to the Eastern Bluebird, and on rare occasions, you might even catch sight of a Vermillion Flycatcher.
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge has five designated nature trails throughout the refuge. Several are located close to the Visitor Center and observatory and others are along the 20 miles of the refuge. They range from around 200 yards in length to 4 miles in length, with benches and bridges along the way. The Wildlife Observatory Building does contain spotting scope stations but bring your binoculars to be sure to be able to see all; the spotting scopes are usually occupied throughout the whole day and you do not want to miss the sights. Also on the north side of the refuge near Huntsville, an Observatory Platform is elevated to overlook the Beaverdam Peninsula where many species of ducks, geese, and other waterfowl take refuge throughout the year.
Photography is permitted in the refuge, but if you are a commercial photographer, you do need a permit, which can be obtained at the Refuge Office. As you might know, medium focal length lenses are the best to use for the large waterfowl, such as the Great Blue Herons, in the range of 300 mm. For the smaller species, such as the Purple Finch, faster lenses in the 400-600 mm range are needed.
In the southeastern section of Alabama lies Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge near the city of Eufaula. It lies on the border of Alabama and Georgia on the Chattahoochee River and the Walter F. George Reservoir called Lake Eufaula. It covers 11,184 acres of land marsh, wetlands, water, grasslands and woodlands. It is open 7 days a week. There is no visitor center but the refuge office has brochures and maps of the park there. The office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is no one at the office on the weekends. There is a 7-mile wildlife drive through the park and an upland waterfowl-viewing platform. There is also one other viewing tower besides the Upland Waterfowl Viewing Platform and a walking trail that can be used to bird. The park is 40% water, so boating or canoeing is also a great way to go. Boats can be rented at the Lakepoint Resort State Park, which is also located on Lake Eufaula.
At least 300 species of birds have been spotted here. You can find waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds and raptors here. There are several rookeries including eagle and osprey nests located here. The Eastern Blue Bird, Killdeer, American Woodcock and the Red-bellied Woodpecker, to name a few, are all commonly found here.
